tlarwa Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 (edited) Hopefully I wont regret this, but I'm putting my Forte II's, in Oak (but stained a darker color), up for sale. I'm looking to generate some cash for the purchase of a different set of speakers. Got the "winter itch"... The Forte II's are in great condition, and sound terrific. The have had many upgrades, including: * Crites Ti tweeter diaphragms * Crites phenolic midrange diaphragms * Recapped crossovers using the Crites rebuild kit * upgraded 5-way binding posts (replaced the little cheapo Klipsch stock posts) * 2" brass adjustable spikes with threaded inserts (factory risers were pretty beat up) * Cabinets fully braced to improve bass response (nice upgrade) * All cabinet joints sealed with white glue to better seal cabinet * New foam tape around all driver flanges and terminal cups to better seal cabinet * Dynamat applied to the backside of all horns and magnets The cabinets are in great shape. There are a few scuffs and dings but overall they look great. The corners are sharp and the finish is nice. I hit them with Howard's Restor-A-Finish and #0000 steel wool to clean them up, and then Howard's Feed-n-Wax to protect the finish. The worst defect is a veneer chip in the upper rear corner of one of the cabinets. Since it is in the back, it's not really noticeable from the listening position though. The grilles are in great shape. No stains, and the frames are intact, with no frame cracks and all magnets in place. The badges look excellent. In the spirit of full disclosure, there is some veneer damage around the threaded inserts on the bottom of the cabinets. My fault, as I didn't relieve the veneer around the drill hole. So when I threaded in the inserts they raised the veneer. I won't make that mistake again. The good thing is that it's on the bottoms, so you can't see it at all unless you turn the cabinets upside down. The inserts are solid, and the spikes thread in and out without any issues. The drivers/horns are all in great shape. There is some candle wax on the cone of one of the passive radiators, but it doesn't affect the sound at all. It was there when I bought them (I'm the 2nd owner) and I didn't want to rub the cone too much to try to remove it in fear of damaging it. You can't see it anyway, since it faces the wall. Other than that, there are no issues and the surrounds are all in good shape. I tried a few tweaks on these to see if I could make them even better, short of a very expensive crossover rebuild. One of the tweaks was to remove the tweeter and put it on top of the cabinet, toward the rear, to try to time align the tweeter and midrange diaphragms. To do this, I built a small box for each tweeter. I also drilled a small hole in the back of each cabinet to allow the speaker wire to exit the cabinet and run to the tweeter. The hole is small, and I've plugged it since returning the tweeter drivers to their stock positions. I also made a black wooden cover plate for the tweeter hole. No additional screw holes were drilled ... I used the stock screw holes, so this mod was completely reversible. I also tried ping pong balls in the tweeter horns, to attempt to diffuse and smooth out the treble. Again, competent reversible. Did either tweak make a difference? I can't say they were hugely apparent, but they certainly didn't make the speakers sound worse! I'll include the tweeter boxes, cover plates and screws, so you can try it yourself if you feel like it. Heck, I'll even include the ping pong balls that I painted black if you want them! I also have a pair of 2" thick hardwood platforms (one oak, one maple) that I had them sitting on. I'd be willing to sell them with the speakers if the buyer is interested. Otherwise I'll keep them and use them as equipment platforms down the road. I am asking $650 for these Forte II's, which I feel is fair given their condition and the $185 worth of Crites upgrades alone. I'm in SE WI (Lake Geneva). I'd consider meeting somewhere for delivery, within reason. I don't think you want them shipped ... It would cost a fortune given their size and weight. Pictures of the Forte II's are available to view in Photobucket here: http://s850.photobucket.com/user/tlarwa/library/Klipsch%20Forte%20II?sort=4&evt=email_share_media&page=1 I apologize that there are some duplicates. I used the iPad version, and it won't let me delete photos from the album. Stupid interface. There are several pictures showing the speakers set up with the tweeter on top of the cabinet. They are not configured like that now. The pictures showing them in the standard configuration were taken as they are currently. I just wanted to show what I was talking about with the tweaks I tried. I am happy to provide photos of anything else you'd like to see, or answer any questions you might have. PM me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks for reading this long description! One last thing ... I do not have the labels. The original owner assured me they were consecutive serial numbers and I don't have any reason to believe that isnt the case. All drivers match between cabinets. Tom Edited November 24, 2015 by tlarwa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa Freak Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 They look nice what is a "SET" amp? GLWYS............................................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlarwa Posted November 23, 2014 Author Share Posted November 23, 2014 They look nice what is a "SET" amp? GLWYS............................................... Thanks. SET = Single Ended Triode. Look at Decware or Bottlehead for some popular examples (among many others). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlarwa Posted November 29, 2014 Author Share Posted November 29, 2014 SALE OFF: I've decided to keep these! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davis419b Posted November 29, 2014 Share Posted November 29, 2014 FYI - these are Oak . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlarwa Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 FYI - these are Oak . Actually, they're not. I have a Klipsch subwoofer (SW-10II) in Oak, and these are definitley much darker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davis419b Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 FYI - these are Oak . Actually, they're not. I have a Klipsch subwoofer (SW-10II) in Oak, and these are definitley much darker. Actually they are Oak. If you look at your pics of the spikes you can see that under the risers it is a different color and the center is dark because someone put a darker stain on them. The grain in the wood is the evidence that they are Oak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Oak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davis419b Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Oak This is a pair Bonzo sold here on the forum and they were Walnut. https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/151585-fs-forte-is-nocal-sold/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 And the tops are figured walnut at that. Those are beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davis419b Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 And the tops are figured walnut at that. Those are beautiful. And look at that great price ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEUS121996 Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 The grain is oak on tlarwa's, just stained dark Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 (edited) And the tops are figured walnut at that. Those are beautiful. And look at that great price ! Agreed, especially for their condition. I'd love to have some cabinets with a figured wood pattern. Edited November 30, 2014 by jweber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davis419b Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 The grain is oak on tlarwa's, just stained dark Mark You are in after the bell your vote doesn't count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlarwa Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 (edited) I guess I stand corrected. But they are a completely different color than my oak sub. That much, at least, is inarguable. But I guess you'll have to take my word for it ... Edited November 30, 2014 by tlarwa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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